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WEEK OF JANUARY 11, 2026
** This Week on the Practical Foundations of a Free Society
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** Matthew Yglesias on Affordability, the Social Safety Net, and Economic Dynamism ([link removed])
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In the latest episode of The Future of Liberty, Mitch Daniels speaks with journalist and author Matthew Yglesias about affordability, the social safety net, and the policy constraints and “sacred cows” shaping reform across housing, energy, transportation, education, and entitlement policy.
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** Looking ahead, what do contemporary debates about growth, affordability, and governance suggest about the conditions necessary for a free society to endure?
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** “Prosperity is not just a matter of material production, but of the social order that sustains it.”
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** – Wilhelm Röpke
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This week’s theme invites reflection on the practical foundations of a free society, understood not as an abstract ideal but as a set of economic, legal, and institutional arrangements that shape everyday life. Through essays, conversations, and curated resources, Liberty Fund explores how affordability, opportunity, and economic dynamism are influenced by incentives, governance structures, and property rights, as well as by the ways political decision-making and institutional constraints affect reform. Together, this week’s selections examine how these interacting forces shape the resilience and prosperity of a free society amid changing economic and technological pressures.
** Articles
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** America the Market ([link removed])
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Nathanael Snow, A Call to Liberty ([link removed])
The article explores the close resonance between Adam Smith’s account of natural liberty, impartial institutions, and limited government and the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence, even in the absence of direct influence. By contrasting Smith’s vision of an open market society with Britain’s mercantilist favoritism and factional privilege, it highlights a shared understanding that freedom, prosperity, and self government depend on institutions that protect individual rights and facilitate exchange rather than advance national or special interest designs.
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** The Year of Unaffordability ([link removed])
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John O. McGinnis, Law & Liberty ([link removed])
As concerns over the cost of everyday necessities continue to dominate public debate, the article explores why affordability has eroded despite ongoing economic growth. It traces rising prices in housing, healthcare, childcare, and energy to regulatory barriers and subsidies sustained by political incentives, while pointing to deregulation, open competition, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence as the most promising avenues for restoring affordability and economic freedom.
** Of Property Rights, Civil Society, and Shampoo ([link removed])
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Anthony Gill, Econlib ([link removed])
Conventional accounts of property rights emphasize law and enforcement, but this essay highlights the decisive role of civil society in shaping ownership and use. By examining the unwritten rules governing hotel amenities, it demonstrates how norms, not statutes, sustain order and make markets function.
** Building an AI-Savvy Workforce ([link removed])
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Kevin Frazier, Law & Liberty ([link removed])
The accelerating pace of artificial intelligence is challenging long-standing assumptions about how professionals are educated and prepared for change. The article argues that success in the AI era will depend on reshaping education to emphasize adaptability, interdisciplinary understanding, and foundational principles rather than narrow technical skills, enabling new technologies to be integrated in ways that support broad human flourishing and resilient institutions.
** Fiscal Crises in American Cities ([link removed])
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Vance Ginn,Econlib ([link removed])
Rising fiscal pressures in American cities are exposing long-standing weaknesses in local budgeting practices, as temporary pandemic-era support is gone and spending continues to outpace sustainable revenue growth. The article emphasizes that restoring fiscal health requires clearer economic understanding, tighter spending discipline, and a renewed focus on core governmental responsibilities so that cities can support long-term affordability, private-sector vitality, and resident well-being.
** Podcasts
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** The Economics of Tariffs and Trade ([link removed])
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EconTalk ([link removed])
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** Markets in America ([link removed])
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Law and Liberty ([link removed])
** Videos
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** Tyler Cowen on AI Algorithms, Immigration, and Forgotten Truths ([link removed])
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The Future of Liberty ([link removed])
A sweeping discussion between Tyler Cowen and Mitch Daniels explores how technological change, fiscal irresponsibility, and regulatory excess threaten long-term growth and freedom. From artificial intelligence to immigration and public trust, Cowen argues that societies prosper only when they pair innovation with sound institutions and intellectual courage.
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